Through his first two seasons in New England, running back Brandon Bolden has proven to be a balanced, versatile option out of the backfield. He's a useful piece in an offense that likes to do different things with its running backs.

Balance is great -- it prevents offenses from being one-dimensional -- but is there anything that Bolden does for the Patriots best out of all the backs on the roster?

It's easy to make the comparison, but I'm going to do it anyway. Bolden, who came to the Patriots an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss, continues to have a similar look as his predecessor BenJarvis Green-Ellis (also an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss), who is now with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Bolden hasn't been called upon to be the feature back at times like Green-Ellis, but Bolden has gotten onto the field as a result of his consistency as a runner, averaging 4.9 yards per carry in 2013 and 2014. He's also never fumbled in the regular season, a point of emphasis when dealing with a team that saw Stevan Ridley do this far too often last season.

Bolden also served as the Patriots' next man up on third downs out of the backfield while Shane Vereen was shelved in the first half of the season.

So why is he on the bubble?

There's an issue of image perception with Bolden. When thinking of him as a runner, the first thing that comes to mind is this game against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 12, 2012, when he had 16 carries for 137 yards (8.56 yards per carry) and a touchdown -- along with an 11-yard TD catch.

It was a great performance. It was also against Bills defense that had played primarily in passing subpackages even as the Patriots continued to run the ball down their throats. It also accounts for over 25 percent of Bolden's 545 career rushing yards and two of his five career scores.

Of course, that has as much to do with opportunities for Bolden as it does individual talent as a runner. But when there has been a chance to take the reins as a feature back, Bolden hasn't impressed. It wasn't the case in 2012, and it wasn't the case in 2013 before LaGarrette Blount earned finally earned the nod toward the end of the season.

Then there's the issue of Bolden's role in the passing game -- he hasn't been great at it. According to Pro Football Focus, Bolden actually graded behind both Vereen (4.8 rating) and Ridley (-2.6 rating) in the passing game, finishing the season with a -3.3 grade. This, combined with propensity for bad drops when coming out of the backfield, calls his future as a receiving back into question.

Bolden's pass blocking wasn't much better. He received a -1.6 grade, and was charged with giving up three sacks and three QB hurries on the season. Meanwhile, Vereen received a grade of 2.0 while Ridley received a grade of 1.9. Neither was charged with a sack.

Heading into training camp, it's hard to imagine that Ridley and Vereen are at risk of losing their roster spots, short of Ridley's fumbling issues becoming purely chaotic or Vereen suffering catastrophic injury. As a result, Bolden's competition will likely come from the crop of rookie backs coming into camp, namely fourth-round pick James White and the team's undrafted free agents (Roy Finch remains a name to watch here).

Bolden isn't the type of electric runner that will outclass Ridley on first and second down ( Say what you want about Ridley's ball-carrying abilities, he's a talented runner). At the same time, Bolden does serve as a solid depth option in the backfield. He's not a gamechanger, but he isn't a liability when called upon to take carries. The 2013 overtime win over the Denver Broncos was a great example of that. Bolden recorded 58 yards on 13 carries in that game, along with an 11-yard TD catch.

On top of that, the third-year back is not likely to command a high-end salary once his contract expires. If the Patriots are looking for a steady presence on the back end of their backfield rotation, Bolden could be the guy.

On the other hand, if White or any of the other rookies also shows consistency (White has a reputation for protecting the ball) as well as promise in the passing game, Bolden could fall short of the 53-man roster.